AH Weekly Poll: Do You Think Google Will Dump Nexus Partners?

For as long as Nexus has been a thing in the smartphone industry, Google has always had a partner to help them produce the handsets and push them out to the world. While there have been some changes here and there with each subsequent generation of device, much has stayed the same. Google always has a hardware partner to manufacture the devices, they are usually available at an affordable cost with the exception of a couple, and they always display the best of what Android as an operating system has to offer in its purest form. Over the last week or two it has been suggested that Google wants to take control of the Nexus program or that they want to make the Nexus line more like Apple's line of iOS devices.

What exactly that means if the rumors are true is anyone's guess as nothing can be confirmed at this point, but some good guesses would point towards Google having complete control over the Nexus devices from the ground up, including the hardware manufactured exactly as they design it, while cutting out any brand affiliation from the company that actually builds the device. This is certainly something Google is capable of as we've seen this from the Pixel line of Chromebooks as well as the Pixel C tablet.

The question is whether or not it would be a good thing for the Nexus line, and if they'll actually dump Nexus brand partners? With Google shutting out hardware partners, it potentially leaves consumers with no option for an affordable device. While phones like the Motorola-made Nexus 6 and the Huawei Nexus 6P can be spendy, most other Nexus models have been extremely affordable, something which just can't be said for either of the three "Pixel" products. If Google takes control of the Nexus program completely in this way, chances are there that the finished product could be more expensive. Then again, so were two of the last three Nexus smartphones, so would that really matter? There's also the question of whether or not it's a realistic move for Google to put all the time and effort it would take into producing a Nexus device on their own short of actually building the device by putting the pieces together. As it stands now, Nexus hardware partners have some say in how the device is designed, taking some of that work off of Google. Do you think Google would dump Nexus hardware partners?

Lover of food, craft beer, movies, travel, and all things tech. Video games have always been a passion of his due to their ability to tell incredible stories, and home automation tech is the next big interest, in large part because of the Philips Hue integration with Razer Chroma. Current Device: Google Pixel.